Former "Sargood & Co" warehouse including interiors

Item details


Name of item:	Former "Sargood & Co" warehouse including interiors
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Commercial
Category:	Warehouse/storage area
Location:	Lat: -33.8709896946277 Long: 151.204689641838
Primary address:	83-87 York Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Local govt. area:	Sydney

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
83-87 York Street	Sydney	Sydney			Primary Address
144 Clarence Street	Sydney	Sydney			Alternate Address

Statement of significance:


	Endeavour Credit Union House has aesthetic significance as a fine representative example of two Federation styles, the Federation Warehouse (Clarence Street) and Federation Free Style (York Street), showing excellent use of face brick and sandstone in vigorously modelled facades, and making a strong contribution to the streetscapes of Clarence and York Streets. The building has historic significance as an early example of the use of steel structures in warehouse construction, and a physical reminder of the proliferation of warehouse construction in the western precinct of Sydney during the late 19th and early 20th century. It has associations with prominent Sydney architects Byera Hadley, Howard Joseland and Walter Liberty Vernon, as well as the firm of Sargood Gardiner & Co.
	Date significance updated: 30 Dec 05
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Joseland & Vernon
Builder/Maker:	Unknown
Construction years:	1913-1913
Physical description:	The building at 144 Clarence Street and 83-87 York Street was constructed in at least two stages from 1908 to 1914. It has masonry facades, in Clarence Street mostly brick and in York Street making extensive use of sandstone. The building has 8 stories plus a basement, the Clarence Street end now being used solely as a vehicle entrance. Windows to both facades have been replaced with aluminium although metal bands to bay windows on York Street appear to be early elements. The York Street facade has been modernised at street level. Internally, concrete encased columns are visible and the remainder of the original structure has been concealed by later finishes. Category:Individual Building. Style:Federation Free Style. Storeys:8 + basement. Facade:Face brick & sandstone, alumin. frame windows. Side/Rear Walls:Rendered masonry. Internal Walls:Plasterbd. & stud. Roof Cladding:Waterproof membrane with roof garden. AirConditioned:Yes FireStairs:2 reinf. Conc. With steel pipe balustrade. This building is connected at most levels to 144 Clarence Street. The above descriptions are common to both properties. Internal Structure:Presumably conc. Encased steel frame. Floor:Presumably timber boards & joists. Roof:Reinf. Conc. Slab. Ceilings:Susp. Acoustic tiles. Stairs:Refer fire stairs. Fire Stairs:2 reinf. Conc. With steel pipe balustrade. Sprinkler System:Yes. Lifts:3 automatic plus 1 goods lift (guillotine doors) and 1 lift between 6th and 7th floors only. High Significance:Masonry facades, concrete encased steel structure and timber floors, surviving early decorative metal bands in bay windows to York Street. Low Significance:Modern aluminium framed windows and shopfronts, concrete entrance steps and coffered plaster ceiling. Was heritage item in 1989 and remains an item to the present.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The building is generally in good condition, although internally the only early fabric visible is the encased columns which have the curved arrises typical of early concrete work..
	Date condition updated:30 Jan 06
Modifications and dates:	1913
Further information:	Under LEP 2012, 83-87 York Street and 144 Clarence Street is listed separately. However, as it is one building, one inventory report has been prepared. It is proposed that this anomaly will be rectified in the future amendment in the LEP. High Significance:Masonry facades, concrete encased steel structure and timber floors, surviving early decorative metal bands in bay windows to York Street. Low Significance:Modern aluminium framed windows and shopfronts, concrete entrance steps and coffered plaster ceiling. Was heritage item in 1989 and remains an item to the present. Heritage Inventory sheets are often not comprehensive, and should be regarded as a general guide only. Inventory sheets are based on information available, and often do not include the social history of sites and buildings. Inventory sheets are constantly updated by the City as further information becomes available. An inventory sheet with little information may simply indicate that there has been no building work done to the item recently: it does not mean that items are not significant. Further research is always recommended as part of preparation of development proposals for heritage items, and is necessary in preparation of Heritage Impact Assessments and Conservation Management Plans, so that the significance of heritage items can be fully assessed prior to submitting development applications.


Current use:	Commercial offices, parking (basement), retail (ground floor)
Former use:	Warehouse

History

Historical notes:

The "Eora people" was the name given to the coastal Aborigines around Sydney. Central Sydney is therefore often referred to as "Eora Country". Within the City of Sydney local government area, the traditional owners are the Cadigal and Wangal bands of the Eora. There is no written record of the name of the language spoken and currently there are debates as whether the coastal peoples spoke a separate language "Eora" or whether this was actually a dialect of the Dharug language. Remnant bushland in places like Blackwattle Bay retain elements of traditional plant, bird and animal life, including fish and rock oysters.

With the invasion of the Sydney region, the Cadigal and Wangal people were decimated but there are descendants still living in Sydney today. All cities include many immigrants in their population. Aboriginal people from across the state have been attracted to suburbs such as Pyrmont, Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe and Redfern since the 1930s. Changes in government legislation in the 1960s provided freedom of movement enabling more Aboriginal people to choose to live in Sydney.

(Information sourced from Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani )

The land on which the combined building stands was part of a grant to William Hutchinson in 1839. In 1908 the first four floors of the building on Clarence Street, known as the Smith Copeland warehouse, were constructed by Moodie Bros to a design by Byera Hadley architect. In 1910 the York Street end of the property was transferred from William Blair Lourke and Frederick William Lourke (who had owned it since at least 1907) to Alfred Herbert Sargood, merchant. Plans for the building in York Street, known as Sargood's warehouse, were prepared in 1913 by Joseland & Vernon architects, and constructed shortly thereafter. As Sargood owned the building in Clarence Street at that time, it is possible that the York Street building was designed to interconnect with it. An additional three floors to the Clarence Street building were probably designed by Howard Joseland about 1914. In 1915 the whole block between Clarence and York Streets was transferred to Alfred and Frederick George Sargood, and in 1936 the same property passed to Sargood Gardiner Ltd. This firm made a number of changes to the building, notably the construction of a concrete slab roof (1940) and alterations to the basement for use as a parking station (1953). In 1985 the whole building, then known as Arunta House, was refurbished by EGO Design.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	(none)-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	A physical reminder of the proliferation of warehouse construction in the western precinct of Sydney during the late 19th and early 20th century. Associated with prominent Sydney architects Byera Hadley, Howard Joseland and Walter Liberty Vernon. Has historic significance locally.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The building contains evidence of the early use of steel in warehouse construction. Has aesthetic significance locally. Cultural: An excellent example of the use of face brick and sandstone in vigorously modelled Federation facades. An early example of the use of steel structures in warehouse construction. The building makes a strong contribution to the streetscapes of Clarence and York Streets.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The building contains evidence of the early use of steel in warehouse construction.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	A fine representative example of two different Federation styles used for warehouse construction.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

General: Endeavour Credit Union House, with frontages at 144 Clarence Street and 83-87 York Street, should be conserved in its existing form and scale as a fine example of the Federation Warehouse, featuring the early use of steel in warehouse construction. No further vertical extensions should occur. Surfaces never intended for painting, notably face brickwork and sandstone, should remain unpainted, while surfaces such as stucco and timber which were originally painted should continue to be painted in appropriate colours. Exterior: Significant original masonry facades should be conserved with appropriate maintenance. Consideration should be given in future to reinstating a pedestrian entrance at the rear as a means of interpreting the former separate building in Clarence Street. Interior: The building is capable of further internal adaptive reuse and alteration, provided that surviving significant fabric (mainly the internal columns and timber floor structures) remains undamaged. The building should be retained and conserved. A Heritage Assessment and Heritage Impact Statement, or a Conservation Management Plan, should be prepared for the building prior to any major works being undertaken. There shall be no vertical additions to the building and no alterations to the façade of the building other than to reinstate original features. The principal room layout and planning configuration as well as significant internal original features including ceilings, cornices, joinery, flooring and fireplaces should be retained and conserved. Any additions and alterations should be confined to the rear in areas of less significance, should not be visibly prominent and shall be in accordance with the relevant planning controls.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012	I1992	14 Dec 12
Heritage study

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written		2001	Policy for the Management of Warehouse/Courtyard Complexes in Central Sydney
Written			Art & Architecture, Jan-Feb 1909 Salon, May-June 1913 Council building application records National Trust listing card Trevor Howells & Mark O'Donnell, 'Survey of Warehouses and Woolstores within the City of Sydney', draft Nov 1993
Written	Anita Heiss		Aboriginal People and Place, Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	2424065

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